Improvement in earvestebs



3 Sheets-8heet 1.

G. HUBBARD.

HARVESTER.

Peptented Sept. 22, 1868'.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

M. G. HUBBARD. HARVESTBR. No. 82,412 Patented Sept. 22, 1868.

. 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

M. G. HUBBARD. HARVESTER.

No. 82,412. r 'Patented Sept. 22, 1868.

gnitnh tetra gaunt ffirrf MOSES G. HUBBARD, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HUBBARD MOWER COMPANY. v

Letters Patent No. 82,412, dated September 22, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS W TQ-ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Know all men by these presents, that I, MOSES G. HUBBARD, of the city of Syracuse, in theState of. Ne York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grass and Grain-Harves ters; and that the following is a correct description thereofi reference being bad to the drawings hereto attached, and forming a part of this specification. v

The said drawings are numbered and designated as follows:

Figure l is a perspective view of my mowing-machine, complete.

Figure 2 is a perspective view' ofmy self-raking reapingmachine, complete.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of my reaper cutting-apparatus,detached.

Figure 4 is a'detached view of the inner end of m-y'reaping cutting-apparatus.

Figure 5 is a detached view ofone of my guard-fingers P.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of my iron main frame.

The general construction of my improved'harveste'r may be described as follows, v'iz:

V I constructthe main frame a either'of hard wood or of, cast iron, in the peculiar form and manner herein-- after described, and I support this frame on the main shaft B, which is supported by the two large wheels Q, and *D. In order to keep this main frame steady, and in a uniform position, I attach. the tongue or pole E rigidly thereto, and in order to adapt'the front end of .this'pole to different-sized horses, without changing the level of the main frame, I make the, pole-attachment adjustable by bolting the pole to the side of the piece F, which I call the polc extension, with several difierent holes arranged one above the other, at a suitable distance apart forconvenient adjustment of the front end of the pole. And in order to adapt my machine to the two processes of-reaping and mowing, I have this attachment so arranged that I can bolt the pole on to one side of the pole-extension for mowingand on to the other. side of it for reaping, as will be hereinafter more fully described. The main frame requires to be made as stiilas possible, to supporLthe gearing and keep it in line. For thispurp'osethe sills should stand edgewise, and after long experience and experiment, I have arrived at the form ofconstruction shown, for'the double purpose of attaining great-stiffness and strength", and the formation ot' a vcry convenient enclosure to protect'the driver and hold tools and other conveniences for Working the machine. Thus, by placing these main-frame sills edgewise, I obtain an unusual rigidity in the frameiand by attaching the bottom boards to the'bottom edges of the sills, the said enclosure is formed very cheaply and conveniently; l andthese bottom-boards thus add largely to the diagonal stiffness of the main frame; I extend across this main frame such intermediate cross-sills as are required for the support of the gearing, andformation of a smaller apartment,'wl 1ich is securely covered by a hinged lid for the safe-keeping of small'and valuable tools. The manner in which the pole-extension is bolted to the mainframe adds considerably to its general strength and stiffness, and, together with the peculiar form of my frame, enables me to supportthe inner end of the reaping-attachment from the rear corner'of the main frame, Without springing it out of line, and thereby cramping the gearing. 1

I will now more minutely describe the'construction of my machine when arranged-for mowing grass, which from a reaper; but, by a long experience in the construction of mowers and reapers,I have succeeded in com- :bining all of the essential elements of the gearing and driving-powers for both purposes, in a two-wheeled, con- -'venient, substantial, and cheaply-constructed truck, in all rcspects, precisely adapted to the construction of :either a mower or a' reaper. Therefore, in order to construct the most-perfect. mower, I have only to attach my improved mowing cutting-apparatus to such a truck as previously described; This attachment I eti'ect by first forming an elastic yielding corner, composed of the extension-iron G and the wear-plate H, and the surfacespring ":'I. g I

The extension-iron G is pivoted to the main frame at K, and the surface-spring is so attached to the main frame at'L, as to be entirely free While the cutting-apparatus is at work on the ordinary level, but ,will so cramp the surface-spring when the cutting-apparatus is raised, bypassing over a stone or other obstacle, that the upward tendency of the cutting-apparatus and its inertia-will be instantly overcome, and it will be started downward so quickly as to waste very little grass, and cause no apparent imperfection in' the work; and the some feature of my elastic attachment holds good to prevent thecut-ting-apparatus from droppingso far below the level as to cramp or break the pitman or cutting-bar attachments. 'This connection I form bv introducing between the'surface-spring and frame-sill a large ova-l washer, and then forming a large bolt, with ahead oval on both sides; and this bolt being passed up through the springand washer and frame-sill, and secured on the top by a strong nut, firmly clnsps the surface-spring between two oval surfaces, producing a practical result of great importance in the working of a mowing-machine.

To this yielding corner I hinge my improved cutting-apparatus at m by a peculiarly-constructed hinge, which I will now minutely describe. It is formed by two strong ears, projecting out from the side of the wearplatc Il and two corresponding ears, projecting up from theinner shoe 'n, and strong pins passing through these ears, thus forming the main hinge. (The ears projecting out from the wear-plate H are extended upwards about three iuches, to permit sevcralhigher pairs of pin-holes to add so much to the height of the rakes and cutters in reaping, and to adjust the level of the platform. This is frequently found to be of great-importance, especially in western grain.) To this inner shoe, thus hinged, I attach the finger-beam O, which I generally make of steel, in order to give it greater strength and stiffness, and to this finger-beam I attach my improved 'guard-fi ngers, one of which is marked I. These guard-fingers have the ordinary open slot, through which the cutters vibrate, but they are of peculiar construction and form. They are so constructed as to allow the cutterhar to project about onc-fourth of an inch in front of the finger-beam, in order to attain a less abrupt shoulder, as shown at R, in detached fig. 5, and the finger is of such form that its section would be a hexagon of unequal sides, as shown, and these sides are made fiat, in order to facilitate -polishing and finishing the fingers on a, grindstone or emery-wheel.

The cutter-bar S, I make of thc'bcst quality of steel, to attain great strength and extreme lightness; and in order to avoid the almost fatal tendency of ordinarily-formedcutter-bars to crystallize and break at the inner end, I form the inner end of two or more pieces, and thereby obviate the peculiar vibration of particles which the rapid concussions caused in working the bar while mowing almost invariably produce, causing the crystallization which is so fatal to the strength of ordinary cutter-bars. The breakage of these cutter-bars has for years been a serious diificulty in working such highly-speeded cutters as experience shows to be desirable for harvesting grass or grain on ordinary seeded land; but my improved cutter-bar, as above described, and shown in detached drawing, fig. 3, eii'cctuallyprevents all such breakage; and when its inner end is confined and held in place by a cap fitting over the top of the cutter-ha: head, as shown at T, the great wear and consequent concussions are diminished, and great stability and durability attainedv It is sometimes desirable to check the downward motion of the outer end of the cutting-a ppara.tus,'to admit of controlling andraising it by the raising-lever U, in passing over large obstructions, such as large stones and stumps. I accomplish this by means of the sot-screw V, which can be turned down against the inner shoe, and thus prevent thc outer epd of the cutting-apparatus from dropping, and it will at once be seen that this arrangemcnt admits of any desired degree of flexibility to the cutting-apparatus. (The set-screw V should be removed entirely when the reaping-platform is attached.)

To the outer end of the finger-beam I attach my improved outer shoe, X. This shoe is so formed as to dividethc grass, and give the outer cutter space in which to stop and change its motion, and at the same time project backward, and form a strong point for attaching the outer carrying wheel Y, with several bolt-holes, for vertical adjustment, for cutting different heights of stubble, and also form ajaw for hinging the trackclearer Z thereto. I accomplish all these objects in one piece of casting, by making it in the peculiar form showinnnd thus present a uniform and uninterrupted outline, from the point of the shoe to the rear end of the track-clearer, and the grass is thus ported and divided perfectly. This is a very important element in mowing, and, in some kinds of grass, requires great perfection of constructi n to work successfully. I have found the peculiar form of shoe, as shown, with its projecting roof, extending from its point back to its rear end, and entirely over the adjustable carrying-wheel, to be the only form of construction which combines all the necessary elcm cntsifor good work in all kinds of grass. The inner end of cutting-apparatus is adjusted vertically by tho'adjust ng-rod E. i i

I will now describe my improved raising-lever, for controlling the cutting-apparatus, and raising it over obstacles while at work. The principal objects to be attained in this element of a mower are convenience for the operator andquickness of operation. My former plans for constructing a. raising-lever have not raised the cutting-apparatus high enough and quickly enough to pass large obstacles while at work, and to accomplish these several objects, Ihavc found-it necessary to make a new device, composed of the reising=handle u and the cam 15'," and the chain C, located and attached as Shown, by means of which combination the operator, by raisingtho said handle, causes the chainto win'd around the cam, and thus take up very rapidly, while its convenience of location renders the process of elevating the cutting-apparatus very easy, and almost instantaneous, and this cam admits of the lever being so located, with reference to the point of attachment of the lower end of the chain, as to cause the chain to pass back of the lower end of the lever when it is raised, the weight holding the lever back against the back side of the lever-jaw, causing it to be self-sustaining.

I It is sometimes necessary to raise the cutting-apparatus into a vertical position, to pass trees and other high obstacles, and it is very convenient to sustain it in that position for transportation. For-this parposed use a rod, which 1 call a sustaining-rod, secured to the frame by one eye at the rear of the frame, and one ll! front, in a convenient position for the driver to grasp it quickly, and on one end of this rod I form aback, which may be hooked into the staple I in the finger-beam, and then the operator can instantly pull up the cuttingapparatus to the side of the machine, for passing obstacles, but when thisis done, the machine should be previously shifted out of gear, and to facilitate this process, I locate the gear-shifter handle-immediately in front of the operator, at K, so that he may readily, by a forward movement of the handle, shift the gear with his foot or hand. The operator can thus instantly shift the gear, and pull up the cutting-apparatus tothe side of the machine, pass the obstacle, drop the cutting-apparatus, shift the gear, and continue'his work with the least possible inconvenience or interruption.

When the cutting-apparatus is raised and sustained on the rear end of the truek, its weight, added to the wcight of the driver, would cause the front end of the machine to tip up; and to obviate this result, I make the driver's seat movable, so that the driver can readily change his position to the front end of the machine; and as the surface over which these machines are drawn is usually quite rough, it is very important for the comfort of the dr irer that the seat should rest on easy springs; and in shipping-and storing these machines, it is often convenient to detach the seatj and'to adapt the seat-attachment to all these purposes, I form two-suitable recesses in the iron plate D, and pivot therein two pieces of spring-steel, as shown, and the seat is pivoted to the upper-ends of these springs. The front and rear sides of the said recesses are of such an angle as to cause the springs to stand at about an angle offorty-five degrees, which will give the seat a movement of about two feet. In this way the seat may be instantaneously changed to balance the machine, the driver is comfortably riding on long, easy-springs, and the seat maybe detachedfor storage or shipping, by merely removing the two .pi'ns by which the springs are pivoted to the machine.

In order to convert this machine into a reaper, I change the pole over to right side of pole-extension, and

detach the mowing cutting-apparatus. then place theinner shoe of the reaping-attachment within the wearplate ears, and'a new machine isformed, of newproportions, and adapted to entirely difi'erent work.

The surface of'grain-fields is usually much'more uneven than meadows, and therefore the cutters require to be higher, and the crop is often tangled, so, as to require great perfection of reeling-apparatus to gather the I cut grain on the platform, and experience has shown that the grain should be delivered from. the platform-in gavels, by the same process which gathers it on to the platform. I

Experience has also shown that the swath cut in grain may be considerably wider than in grass, with the same power. I I therefore make my reaping cutting-apparatus about one-fourth wider. For gathering the grain on to the platform, and delivering it into gavels around at the side automatically, I prefer the apparatus usually at F, and thus Iform a complete two-wheeled self-raking reaper.

This is best accomplished by what is usually tcrmed'a sweep-rake, to use which the raker would sit on the rear of the machine, and in the usual way gather in the crop with his'rake, until he had accu ulated sufficient for a gavel, and then, by a circular motion, sweep it around on a natural curve, and oil at the side of the platform. To do this effectually with a sweep-rake, requires that the inner line of cut should be a considerable distance from the raker, so that the inner end of his rake will have suflicient range of movement to carry in the cut-grain, and sweep it around and form a clean, compact gavel.

known as the Johnston self-rake, which I attach to the inner side of my improved reaping-attachment, as shown To get this increased range of movement, I locate the first gnard-fingerabout fifteen inches out beyondtheinner shoe, and extend the cutter-bar (without cutters) from this point in to the inner shoe, to a suitable point to connect with the ordinary mowing-pitman. I thus get a range of movement for the inner end of the rake which eifectually sweeps in all the cut grain, and delivers it effectually. I

In gathering and delivering thick, tangled grain, the rakes G require to be as wide as they can conveniently be made, in order to prevent the rake from passing under a portion ofthe grain on the platform. It has been diflicnlt to get a rake snfiicie ntly wide and suriiciently light,.but I find that by allowing the rake-tceth to pass up through the rake-head about four inches, and attaching a small round stick on their upper ends, to prevent grain from lodging on them, a very wide and a very light rake is formed, and the teeth projecting below the rake-head are short, and consequently strong, and when one breaks it can readily be driven out, and a new one substituted. I sometimes cover these rakes with canvas, to insure clean 'work. i

I have found it necessary to so attach the drivers seat onareaping-ma-chine, that it should be elastic ina forward direction, as well as downward, to protect the driver against the severe jerking motion caused by drop ping into dead furrows," of which there is a great number in ordinary grain-fields. This peculiar result I attain by turning my above-described driver's seat forward, so that it not only balances the reaping-atta'chment, but it also brings the seat-springs into such position that their action is about as much in a forward direction as downward, and in this way they entirely avoid the peculiar jarring and jerking motion caused by dropping into dead furrows, or striking any large obstacles, such as stones. which are very common in ordinary grain-fields. I v

Having thus fully described my improvements in harvesters, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure-by Letters Patent, is-- 1. Attaching the seat by the two pivoted springs, arranged one in advance of the other, and in the same plane, for the purpose and substantially as described. i v

2. The sent-plate D, provided with the two sockets or recesses, arranged in line, as described, and adapted to receive and permit the adjustment of the seat-springs, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. Mounting the drivers. seat for a reapingmachine upon springs so arranged as to preserve the horizontality of the seat, and at the same time to give it both a forward and 'downward'motion, for the purpose and substantially as set forth.

M. G. HUBBARD.

Witnesses:

J. H. MYERS, Gnu. E. Buckner. 

